Saturday, 3 June 2017

Meal Squared2 Menywod, Cardiff pop-up restaurant review

Meal Squared2 is a collaborative supper club series that has previously featured notable names such as Penylan Pantry, James Sommerin, Dead Canary and Waterloo Tea.

Their latest event, Meal Squared2 Menywod (Women) - Cooking from our heartland saw the epic all-female line-up of Hang Fire, Penylan Pantry, Brød, Lia’s Kitchen, SamosaCo, Ericka Duffy and Spillers Records collaborating for an evening of food, drink and music inspired by the cultures that are close to each of their hearts.

The evening took place at the Wyndham Arcade branch of Waterloo Tea and was inspired by a similar Bristol collaborative dinner, Severn Sisters (the BBC Food Programme episode is well worth a listen).

If all this wasn’t impressive enough, the proceeds of the evening (tickets cost £48) were donated to Action Against Hunger and a fundraising raffle saw impressive prizes from Bang & Olufsen, Alex Gooch bread and I Loves the 'Diff.

A welcome drink of Caerdrydd clarified gin milk punch from mixologist and perfumer Ericka Duffy was a refreshing custardy treat made using Sipsmith gin washed in Brød custard.

A mezze sharing board brought together components from a trio of different chefs - Lia’s Kitchen, Brød and Penylan Pantry. Cycladic aubergoni was the standout. These soft aubergine cannelloni were stuffed with a moreish feta filling and coated in a cinnamon and mint fragranced tomato sauce. Dexter beef Greek meatballs were elevated by a dill-twanged tzatziki.

For main, Hang Fire served up a plate of their killer barbecue. Uber-tender smoked chicken was accompanied by tangy Alabama white barbecue sauce. Stonkingly good Hang Fire ribs were joined by sweet Kansas City barbecue sauce, bright onion pickles and a light and fresh cabbage slaw flecked with green pepper.

A Ewe’s milk cheese selection from Penylan Pantry was served with clever accompaniments - creamy Wigmore with a sweet chilli jam, a nutty Lord Of Hundreds with floral Welsh honey and the crunch of walnut, and a mild Miss Belles blue with a sweet marmalade (the tastiest and most unique flavour combination).

A pair of accompanying drinks were certainly original. Made by steeping the booze in their matched cheeses, I was a fan of the Lord of Hundred’s Liqueur made with whisky, peanuts and honey. But, Mrs Bells blue cheese liqueur was a step too far for me.

A board of sweet treats from Brød and Lia’s Kitchen included mini custard spandauer pastries, crisp tarts with vanilla custard and glazed strawberries, and plump almond-stuffed dates coated in allspice and orange twanged raw dark chocolate. The puds were matched with a lovely chocolate and coffee cocktail.

We had a great evening at Meal Squared2. Most importantly, the event raised £2,000 for Action Against Hunger. This is hopefully the first Meal Squared2 Menywod event of many, so keep a lookout for future collaborations.

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About Gourmet Gorro

My name is Ed Gilbert. I'm an indiscriminate glutton who enjoys a late night doner as much as a bit of posh. I like to think I can occasionally share a valid opinion about food when my judgement hasn't been clouded by the meat red mist. I'm a Cardiff based Geordie who's spent time living in Newcastle, London, Chester and Cambridge. I mostly write reviews of restaurants in Cardiff, South Wales.

I use a Lumix LX5 camera. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated.